Several African American mayors elected on Election Day 2017

While much attention was payed to Democratic candidates that won governor's races in both New Jersey and Virginia, several African American Democrats won mayoral races throughout the country. This is not a list of all of them but a list of six of the more notable victories on Election Day 2017.

Melvin Carter

Voters in St. Paul, Minnesota, made history by electing Melvin Carter as the city’s first African-American mayor.

“This is the honor of a lifetime,” Carter said late Tuesday night. “Being able to carry a majority of the first-choice votes says to me loud and clear that St. Paul is a city ready for change.”

Vi Lyles

Vi Lyles was elected as Charlotte, North Carolina’s first female African-American mayor, defeating Republican candidate Kenny Smith.

“With this opportunity you’ve given me, you’ve proven that we are a city of opportunity and inclusiveness,” Lyles told a crowd of supporters, according to the Charlotte Observer. “You’ve proven that a woman whose father didn’t graduate from high school can become this city’s first female African-American mayor.”

Yvonne Spicer

Yvonne Spicer was elected the first mayor of the city of Framingham, Massachusetts. Framingham residents recently voted to become a city, relinquishing its status as “the largest town in America.” This vote altered the way the government will be run: with a mayor and a city council.

“This is a new beginning for Framingham. ... I promise you as your mayor, I will make sure that everyone at Framingham has a seat at the table,” Spicer told a group of supporters Tuesday night.

Jonathan McCollar

Jonathan McCollar will become the first African-American mayor of Statesboro, Georgia, defeating incumbent Jan Moore.

“It’s that the city was ready for change, he said Tuesday. “This is just evidence of the work from the people that were part of this movement.”

Brendon barber

Brendon Barber, a Georgetown, South Carolina, city councilman since 1998, will become the city’s first ever African-American mayor. The Georgetown native said his knowledge of the city and its municipal employees makes him well-positioned for the job.

Mary Parham Copelan

Mary Parham Copelan will become Milledgeville, Georgia’s, first female African-American mayor, beating incumbent Gary Thrower by just six votes.

“I along with each one of you know that we needed real change and real progress for our city,” she wrote on Facebook following her victory.

[SOURCE: HUFFPPOST]

Two African Americans elected as Lieutenant Governors on Election Day 2017

While much attention was payed to Democratic candidates that won governor's races in both New Jersey and Virginia, two African American candidates also won statewide office. Both Sheila Oliver of New jersey and Justin Fairfax of Virginia were elected as Lieutenant Governors of their prospective states.

Sheila Oliver

New Jersey elected Sheila Oliver as its first female African-American lieutenant governor. Oliver is no stranger to breaking records: She became the first African-American woman to be elected as Assembly speaker in New Jersey and only the second black female speaker in U.S. history.

“This may not be the first glass ceiling I have broken, but it is certainly the highest,” Oliver said during Democrat Phil Murphy’s victory party. “And I hope somewhere in this great state of New Jersey, a young girl of color is watching tonight and realizing that she does not have a limit to how high she can go.”

Justin Fairfax

Democrat Justin Fairfax was elected to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor. With his victory, the former federal prosecutor will be the second African-American to win statewide in Virginia.

“I am so grateful for this opportunity,” Fairfax said during a statewide victory party, according to WJLA-TV. “We are changing the course of history in this commonwealth.”

[SOURCE: HUFFPOST]

ObamaCare signups surge in early days to set new record

Despite the Trump administration's sabotage attempts which included cutting funding for advertising the Affordable Care Act's enrollment period, and cutting the enrollment period itself by 40 plus days, it seems that early enrollment figures have set a new sign-up record.

A record number of people signed up for ObamaCare in the first few days of open enrollment this year compared to the same period in previous years, several sources close to the process told The Hill.

The surge in sign-ups, which was confirmed by an administration official, comes despite fears from Democrats that enrollment would fall off due to the Trump administration's cutbacks in outreach and advertising.

On the first day of enrollment alone, Nov. 1, one source close to the process told The Hill that more than 200,000 people selected a plan for 2018, compared with about 100,000 last year. More than 1 million people visited healthcare.gov that day, compared to about 750,000 last year, the source said.

It is still early in the process and it is unclear how the final sign-up numbers will come out. Sign-ups early in the enrollment season are often people renewing their coverage, not new enrollees.

[SOURCE: The Hill].

Kamala Harris condemns gun violence after mass shooting in Sutherland Texas

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) called for gun control after a mass shooting at a church in Sutherland, Texas which left multiple people dead and wounded on Sunday.

Senator Harris tweeted:

Senseless gun violence has torn apart another community — this time in a house of worship. When do we say enough is enough? https://t.co/gsW1KN54xc

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 5, 2017

Must Read: We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates

“We were eight years in power” was the lament of Reconstruction-era black politicians as the American experiment in multiracial democracy ended with the return of white supremacist rule in the South. In this sweeping collection of new and selected essays, Ta-Nehisi Coates explores the tragic echoes of that history in our own time: the unprecedented election of a black president followed by a vicious backlash that fueled the election of the man Coates argues is America’s “first white president.”

But the story of these present-day eight years is not just about presidential politics. This book also examines the new voices, ideas, and movements for justice that emerged over this period—and the effects of the persistent, haunting shadow of our nation’s old and unreconciled history. Coates powerfully examines the events of the Obama era from his intimate and revealing perspective—the point of view of a young writer who begins the journey in an unemployment office in Harlem and ends it in the Oval Office, interviewing a president.

We Were Eight Years in Power features Coates’s iconic essays first published in The Atlantic, including “Fear of a Black President,” “The Case for Reparations,” and “The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration,” along with eight fresh essays that revisit each year of the Obama administration through Coates’s own experiences, observations, and intellectual development, capped by a bracingly original assessment of the election that fully illuminated the tragedy of the Obama era. We Were Eight Years in Power is a vital account of modern America, from one of the definitive voices of this historic moment.

Check Out The Book

Hardcover---------- Paperback---------- Kindle

Brazile says she considered swapping Clinton for Biden as 2016 nominee

Donna Brazile, the former interim chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), says she contemplated removing Hillary Clinton as the party's presidential nominee in 2016 and replacing her with then-Vice President Joe Biden.

In a section of her upcoming memoir, reported Saturday by The Washington Post, Brazile recalled how she considered using her power as the DNC's interim chairwoman to install candidates more likely to energize working-class voters. 

The presidential candidate she settled on, according to the Post, was Biden, with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) as his running mate.But she ultimately decided against such a shake-up, saying that she felt that she could not upend the campaign of the first woman presidential nominee of a major political party. 

“I thought of Hillary, and all the women in the country who were so proud of and excited about her," she wrote. "I could not do this to them.”

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Check out Brazile's book:

Maxine Waters to Sessions: 'Time to go back to the plantation'

Rep. Maxine Waters BKA Auntie Maxine, slammed United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday, telling him to "go back to the plantation" after he said did not recall hearing if members of the Trump campaign were in contact with the Russians.

Read Waters tweet below:

Sessions doesn't remember what he said, when he said it, & where he was when he said it. Don't blame him. Time to go back to the plantation.

— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) November 3, 2017

6 Florida firefighters fired for noose hung on black colleague's photo

Six firefighters who worked at Station 12 in Miami have been fired and five more face demotions or discipline after racist and sexually harassing behavior targeted a black colleague.

The city said the firefighters left a hangman’s noose on a photo of fellow first responder, who is a 17-year veteran. Watch more on this story below:

FDNY veteran Tonya Boyd will become department's first black female deputy chief

An EMS captain with 21 years on the job will become the first African-American woman in the FDNY to achieve the rank of deputy chief on Thursday.

Capt. Tonya Boyd, who joined the FDNY’s Emergency Medical Services while in college as a way to make money, said she never dreamed her career would reach such heights.

“I’m so excited and I am so blessed,” the EMS officer told the New York Daily News.

“After hearing about the promotion, I couldn’t believe it. I feel like I’ve knocked down a door and opened it for a lot of EMTs just starting on this job,” said Boyd.

“African-American women will see someone who looks like them as a deputy chief and they will know more is possible — their careers won’t top out at paramedic or even lieutenant,” said the captain of Station 39 in Brooklyn.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Boyd’s success was due to her efforts.

“Tonya is not only helping to raise the bar for our ability to provide pre-hospital care, she's also demonstrating to young women of all backgrounds the incredible rewarding career they can achieve in the FDNY,” Nigro said.

Read more: FDNY veteran Tonya Boyd will become department's first black female deputy chief

Dominique Brooks is missing!

Dominique Brooks of Joliet, Illinois is missing.

She is about 5-foot-6 and was wearing a blue-and-white coat with long sleeves that had a skull on it, maroon skinny jeans and red-and-white Nike shoes.

The Joliet Police Department Investigations unit said there were no leads on the case as of Monday afternoon.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Joliet Police Department Investigations at 815-724-3020.

Gen. Kelly says he'll 'never' apologize for comments about Rep. Frederica Wilson

White House chief of staff John Kelly says he will "absolutely not" apologize for his comments on Rep. Frederica Wilson, adding that he stands by his comments.

When defending Trump in the wake of the feud, Kelly claimed Wilson had boasted of securing "$20 million" in federal funding to build a new FBI field office in Miami during the dedication ceremony for the building in 2015. He also called the congresswoman an empty barrel, saying her remarks focused more on her own actions than the heroism of the two FBI agents for whom the new building had been named.

But a Sun Sentinel video of the building dedication ceremony confirmed that she had not taken credit for the building's funding.

Asked Monday if he felt like he needed to apologize for his comments about Wilson, Kelly said, "Oh, no. No. Never. Well, I'll apologize if I need to. But for something like that, absolutely not. I stand by my comments."

Wilson tweeted Tuesday that she stands by her call for Kelly to apologize to her.

"I stand by what I said. John Kelly owes the nation an apology because when he lied about me, he lied to the American public," she said.

The call in question was to the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, who was one of four soldiers killed during an ambush in Niger.

"As far as the young widow goes -- she has every right to say what she wants to say," Kelly said, according to a transcript of an interview on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle."

Kelly said he felt Wilson's retelling contributed to "the politicization of something that was so from the heart." Kelly said he was "brokenhearted" by the congresswoman's criticism, and said he had given the President some guidance on consoling the families.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Steve Harvey's ratings tank after Trump meeting

Steve Harvey's ratings for his new talk show Steve have been tanking due to his meeting with Donald Trump in January.The comedian's black supporters criticized the meeting but Harvey failed to properly address the backlash, resulting in poor ratings for his programs.

Steve Harvey is attempting to save his new talk show by distancing himself from President Trump after his ratings took a hit due to fallout for taking a meeting with Trump in January.

The 60-year-old relaunched his daytime show when his previous program was set to be canceled because the host refused to sign his contract because he wasn't getting a raise and couldn't move his show to Los Angeles.

As a result, Harvey's talent agency decided to launch a new show, simply retitled Steve, for the comic based in Hollywood in an effort to keep the show going.

The retooled show premiered on September 5 after a few months of preparation, and both ratings and reviews for the program have been less than stellar.

Sources close to the production told DailyMail.com they believe the poor numbers reflect a fallout from Harvey's black audience after he met with Trump in January.

Now Harvey is turning on the president in a desperate bid to save his show, recently proclaiming on his radio show: 'Meeting with Donald Trump was the worst mistake of my life.'

Harvey faced tremendous backlash from his TV and radio fans when he paid a visit to Trump Tower in New York City to meet with Donald Trump in January

African-Americans were outraged by the images of Harvey being chummy with the then-President Elect and many called for boycotts against the comic.

Harvey was dismissive and defiant despite the backlash and lashed out at fans for challenging his decision.

The source said: 'This is the moment his brand took a hit. He had been through a few scandals before - the divorces, the Miss Universe Pageant and the Asian joke gone bad - but he had never faced the wrath of his core audience before, middle-aged African Americans.

'And unfortunately for Steve, he was too arrogant to realize the weight of his mistake and never made amends to his loyal followers for it.'

Since then, the ratings for Harvey's game show Family Feud took a dip and the audience for his variety show Little Big Shots dropped almost by half.

But it wasn't until the ratings for his revamped talk show started suffering did Harvey acknowledge his glaring Trump error.

Read more: Steve Harvey's ratings tank after Trump meeting

Rev. Jesse Jackson: NFL owners have 'plantation mentality'

Reverend Jesse Jackson, the noted civil rights activist, wants to have an extensive conversation with Texans owner Bob McNair.

In the wake of a firestorm of controversy following McNair saying "We can't have the inmates running the prison," at a recent NFL owners meetings, Jackson was sharply critical of the remarks in a telephone interview Sunday with The Houston Chronicle. Jackson accused owners, including McNair, of having a "plantation mentality."

Jackson added that there should be sanctions against McNair for his comments. McNair has apologized publicly in a statement and privately to his players and stated that he wasn't referring to players in those remarks. said he reached out to McNair and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and hasn't heard back from them.

Jackson suggested that the NFL provide extensive details about what was said at the closed-door meeting regarding players' national anthem protests.

"They really should make the minutes of that meeting public," Jackson said. "I understand there were some other things said that were just as bad from other owners. They have kind of a plantation mentality. The players are objectified in some sense. Mr. McNair is a product of the South. They act like he's a victim or misunderstood, but those players have made him a wealthy man.

"Mr. McNair said he's sorry, but he also said what he said in an uninhibited way when he's in a private meeting with the other owners. There should be some kind of sanctions. Other owners heard him talk that way and they shouldn't condone that kind of talk."

Jackson believes there's an opportunity to bring people together through this situation.

Read more: Rev. Jesse Jackson: NFL owners have 'plantation mentality'

Maxine Waters has tough words for predators and Trump

In no uncertain terms, Congresswoman Maxine Waters warned those who prey on women to "keep your hands off" Saturday at the Women's Convention in Detroit.

The 79-year-old Democratic icon from California, who's known for her no-filter honesty, was greeted with a standing ovation by a crowd at the Cobo Center.

Waters was there to address a packed hall of attendees -- and to be honored for speaking truth to power at an event titled the Sojourner Truth Luncheon.

Focusing largely on the issue of sexual harassment and assault that's been driven by the news about movie producer Harvey Weinstein, Waters stressed that the problem isn't limited to the entertainment industry.

Citing teachers, nurses, women serving in the military and fellow U.S. representatives who've added their voices to the #MeToo movement, Waters declared that such behavior toward women will not be tolerated.

"Keep your nasty comments away from us... Keep your hands off our backs and our g--damn bodies. We're not going to take it anymore," she warned.

Waters also made it clear that she thinks President Donald Trump is part of the problem. The grassroots women's movement grew out of concerns that rights for women and other groups would be impacted negatively by the Trump administration.

"This president has no respect for women," said Waters.

The Waters speech was one of the most anticipated offerings of the first such convention ever held by the Women's March movement.

Read more: Maxine Waters fires up Women's Convention in Detroit with tough words

Obama to report for jury duty in Chicago

Former President Obama has been called for service on a Chicago jury.

A judge from Cook County, Illinois, told county commissioners on Friday that Obama plans to appear in court next month.

“He made it crystal-clear to me through his representative that he would carry out his public duty as a citizen and resident of this community,” Chief Judge Tim Evans said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The date and location of Obama’s expected service were not disclosed.

“His safety will be uppermost in our minds,” Evans said.

Obama is unlikely to be selected for a jury even if he’s willing to appear.

He is registered to vote in Chicago and owns a home there, as well as in Washington, D.C.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

95-year-old black judge celebrates 50 years on federal bench

Judge Damon J. Keith thinks back on his 50 years on the federal bench and remembers many tumultuous and significant times, including being sued by President Richard Nixon after ruling that wiretapping couldn't be done without a court order.

The 95-year-old from Detroit, the only African-American among six current federal judges who have served 50 or more years according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, still hears cases about four times a year at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. His approach — in or out of the spotlight, on or off the bench — is the same: Fight for the Constitution, not with each other.

"Just treat everyone with dignity," said Keith, who will be honored at a gala Saturday in Detroit for reaching the half-century mark.

The phrase "Equal justice under law," which is etched onto the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, drives Keith and reminds him of lessons Thurgood Marshall taught him as one of his professors at Howard University. Marshall became the first black Supreme Court justice in October 1967 — the same month Keith, a prominent lawyer in his own right by then, was appointed to the federal bench.

He recalled Marshall saying, "The white men wrote those four words. When you leave Howard, I want you to go out and practice law and see what you can do to enforce those four words."

"And that's what I've tried to do," Keith said last week at Detroit's historic federal court building, where he's had an office since President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to the federal district court 50 years ago.

In 1970, Keith ordered a bus policy and new boundaries in the Pontiac, Michigan, school district to break up racial segregation.

A year later, he made another groundbreaking decision, finding that Hamtramck, Michigan, illegally destroyed black neighborhoods in the name of urban renewal with the federal government's help. The remedy was 200 housing units for blacks. The court case is still alive decades later due to disputes over property taxes and the slow pace of construction.

Read more: 95-year-old black judge celebrates 50 years on federal bench

American Airlines to NAACP: Let's talk about discrimination

American Airlines and the NAACP on Thursday said they look forward to discussing together allegations of discrimination against passengers of the largest U.S. airline.

The comments came two days after the NAACP issued an advisory that warned the public, African-American travelers in particular, against choosing the carrier because of a risk of "discriminatory and unsafe conditions."

"The NAACP looks forward to meeting with American Airlines leadership to address these issues of alleged racism and inappropriate and disparate treatment of people of color," said NAACP spokesman Malik Russell, in an emailed statement.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said Thursday on an earnings call with analysts that the airline looked forward to discussing the matter.

On Tuesday, the NAACP issued an advisory against American Airlines, citing four recent incidents in which African-American passengers said they were discriminated against by the airline, including one high-profile incident in which an activist said that she was ordered off the plane after a dispute over a change in her seat assignment.

The NAACP, the nation's oldest civil rights organization, said its advisory alerted "travelers — especially African Americans — to exercise caution, in that booking and boarding flights on American Airlines could subject them disrespectful, discriminatory or unsafe conditions."

"Discrimination, exclusion and unconscious biases are enormous problems that no one's mastered and we would never suggest that we have it all figured out," Parker said on the quarterly earnings call. "We would never suggest that we have it all figured out. What we know is we want to keep learning and we want to get even better."

[SOURCE: CNBC]

Rep. Al Green Statement Supporting Rep. Frederica Wilson

Watch Congressman Al Green's Floor Statement Supporting Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL) after Donald Trump disrespectfully called the Congresswoman out of her name.

Women of Congressional Black Caucus Demand Apology from John Kelly to Frederica Wilson

CBC Women Demand Apology from White House Chief of Staff John Kelly

Today, the women of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement in response to the South Florida Sun Sentinel's release of a video of Congresswoman Frederica Wilson’s (D-FL) 2015 speech at the dedication of a new Miramar, Florida FBI Building. The video confirms that Wilson’s account of the speech is true and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly's account of the speech is false.

“The women of the Congressional Black Caucus stand in strong support of our colleague, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. Congresswoman Wilson is a woman of impeccable integrity and a dedicated public servant. She is a highly respected Member of Congress who has demonstrated extremely competent leadership on a number of important issues, and we are especially proud of her fearless and uncompromising leadership to fight for the release of nearly 300 Nigerian school girls who were kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram.

“We were appalled by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly’s statements where he called Congresswoman Wilson an ‘empty barrel’ and accused her of taking credit for securing funding for a new FBI Building in Miramar, Florida that was named after two fallen FBI agents, Benjamin Grogan and Jerry Dove. A video of Congresswoman Wilson’s comments on that day has been released, and it provides indisputable proof that she never made any of the statements of which General Kelly falsely accused her.

“General Kelly’s comments are reprehensible. Congresswoman Wilson’s integrity and credibility should not be challenged or undermined by such blatant lies. We, the women of the Congressional Black Caucus, proudly stand with Congresswoman Wilson and demand that General Kelly apologize to her without delay and take responsibility for his reckless and false statements.”

At press time the following CBC women had signed on to the statement: Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH), Karen Bass (D-CA), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Alma Adams (D-NC), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Val Butler Demings (D-FL). Additional names may be added.

Obama: When Americans see strangers in need, they 'step up'

Former President Obama said he “could not be prouder” of Americans for their response to help victims of the recent hurricanes that struck the U.S.

Obama, speaking at the One America Appeal benefit concert for hurricane victims Saturday night, praised Americans who are helping in the recovery efforts.